Drakensteyn Castle


Drakensteyn Castle is a small castle at 8 Slotlaan in the hamlet of Lage Vuursche, in the municipality of Baarn, Netherlands. It is the private residence of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, the country's former Queen.
The royal connection aside, its most distinctive feature is its octagonal shape. It is surrounded by a moat that can be crossed via a bridge. Its style can be described as Classicist.

History

A house called Drakesteijn at this location was first mentioned in 1359, but the current building was constructed in the years 1640-1643 for a Gerard van Reede Läm. In the 17th and 18th centuries the castle changed hands on several occasions. In 1807 Paulus Wilhelmus Bosch, mayor of Utrecht, became the owner of Drakensteyn Castle. The house remained in the possession of that family for 150 years until Frederik Lodewijk Bosch van Drakestein sold it to Princess Beatrix. It should not be confused with the nearby Klein Drakesteijn, which was built in 1780.

Royal residence

Princess Beatrix bought the castle in 1959, when she was the heir to the Dutch throne, and took up residence in 1963 after a programme of renovations. After her marriage in 1966 she continued to live there with her husband, Prince Claus and raised their three sons there. After Beatrix succeeded her mother Juliana as Queen of the Netherlands in 1980, the family moved to The Hague in 1981.
On 28 January 2013, it was announced that Beatrix would again take up residence at the castle after her abdication later that year. Her son, Willem-Alexander, was installed on the Dutch throne on 30 April 2013. On 2 February 2014, Beatrix moved into the castle.